Allan was the Member of Provincial Parliament for the seat of Hamilton West from 1914 to 1919.

He was born in Guelph, Canada West, the son of James Allan, a Scottish immigrant.

He apprenticed as a builder in Hamilton and worked in the western United States from 1874 to 1879, when he moved to New York City.

Allan was elected to the provincial assembly in a 1914 by-election held after John Strathearn Hendrie was named Lieutenant-Governor for Ontario.

This article about an Ontario Progressive Conservative Party MPP is a stub.